The Darkest Christmas
by BookwormBpants
Summary: Harry gets called away on an Auror mission just before Christmas. Will this end up being the worst Christmas the Potter family has ever had?


**Hi All, I've felt the itch to post again recently and i have a few different ideas floating around. I'm not sure that this really fits into my Harry Potter Universe, but enjoy!**

Ginny hadn't had a Christmas this tense since the war. The Aurors had a really big case, so big in fact that the head Auror had to go into the field just a few days before Christmas. Ginny remembered the early years after the war when Harry was in the field a lot. But after the kids were born Harry moved up the ranks in the department and that meant more time at his desk and that meant fewer times when he had to miss special occasions. He had gotten called away just before the kids got home for Christmas and with each day he failed to come home things got a little more tense.

Ginny looked around the dinner table at her oddly quiet children. James, Albus, and Lily had hardly said a word the whole meal. They had never experienced the waiting around for Harry before not really and she had hoped they would never know this particular type of worry. "Did you kids have a nice day today, sorry I got held up at the office today."

"It was fine mom James went over to visit Fred and Al and I went to see Rosie and Hugo."

"That sounds like fun, I think Teddy is coming over tonight for a visit as well."

Albus looks dup from his plate, "Did you hear anything from Dad today wasn't he supposed to get home yesterday?"

"Sorry kids I haven't heard anything from Dad yet, but I popped its the department today and there isn't anything new to report. As far as they know things are just taking a bit longer than they thought they would."

The rest of dinner was very quiet and afterwards Teddy came over. He joined Ginny in the kitchen while the kids got out the board games in the living room. "It's not good Ginny they should have been back yesterday and there's no open lines of communication with them right now." "It's not like Harry to go silent like this he always found ways to let me know he was okay when he was in the field. You remember those days better than the kids do." "I am worried Ginny, I just hope they get this wrapped up soon so everyone can come home. Things are tense around the office without Harry."

The kids sat around the game board with Teddy and Ginny. The game was tense and despite her best attempts to keep things light Ginny was failing spectacularly. The kids were not enjoying things, Teddy was trying his best, and Ginny was to trying make sure the kids were distracted but the tension in this room could be cut with a knife. She knew how each of her children reacted to stress. James would get increasingly rowdier, he would see how far he could push it before he made someone mad. Albus was more like Harry, he would brood until he exploded about somethings, in this house that something was usually James. Lily was more like her, she would keep herself busy and just be a little more on edge until like Ginny she felt the need to hex someone, in this house again probably James.

"James I swear to Merlin if you flick one more thing at me…"

"What are you going to do Lily, you can't do magic outside of school yet."

"Neither can you James you're only fifteen, and I can still punch you in the nose."

Albus sat between the two looking increasingly miserable. The siblings fight was broken up by a knock at the door.

Ginny got up to answer it leaving Teddy to supervise the unravelling the fight between the kids. She opened the door to see Terry Boot in his Auror robes. Ginny stepped back and Terry stepped through the door. "Mrs. Potter I am here as an official representative of the Auror department to inform you that at 6:27 this evening Head Auror Harry Potter was killed in the line of duty. Ginny I'm so sorry I don't even know what to say."

Ginny felt as if her whole world was collapsing in on her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but one thought popped into her head. "What happened Terry, how many other are…"

"As far as we've been able to tell there was an ambush and they were all killed Ginny I'm sorry it was Harry and eleven of the best aurors we have. They were all killed."

"Have you told the others yet?" "Not yet I wanted to tell you first, I needed to tell you I'm so sorry Ginny. Harry was the best guy."

"Yeah Terry he was, you tell the families of the others that they are welcome here if they need, or if they want, just let them know our door is always open to them."

"I will Ginny thanks, this is going to be a rough night, do you need me to call someone for you?"

"No I'll be fine I'll call Ron and Hermione and then I'll tell the kids. I'm not sure it's sunk in yet. Part of me thinks Harry will miraculously jump up and be alive again."

Terry left and Ginny and she closed the door. Ginny walked into the kitchen in a daze and fire called over to Ron and Hermione's. She saw the whirling green flames and suddenly her head appeared in the sitting room of Ron and Hermione's home. "Ginny are you okay you look pale, did you hear from Harry?"

"Hermione can you and Ron come through for a bit?"

Hermione's face paled, "Absolutely should we leave the kids here?"

"I think maybe you should here the news first before you bring the kids over."

Ginny stepped back and seconds later Ron and Hermione fell through the fireplace. Ginny sunk into a chair at the kitchen table. She saw the faces of her husbands two best friends and everything came crashing down on her how could she tell these people that Harry was dead? How could she tell her children that their father was never coming home? How was she going to go about this rest of her life without her other half?

"Ginny what's going on?"

Ron had come to kneel in front of her and was looking at her in concern.

"I don't know how to say it? If I say it it's real, and I don't want it to be real."

Hermione came to sit on her other side, "What ever it is Ginny we are here for you."

"Terry was just here, he heard from the aurors in the field. They were ambushed, all of them there, none of them, they didn't…". Ginny gave in to the tears and felt herself be wrapped into a hug by her brother and her friend, "He's gone, and I don't know what to do now?"

The three of them stayed wrapped in a hug together until the tears ran dry. "How do I tell my kids their dad is dead? Tomorrow is Christmas Eve."

Hermione wrapped her arm around Ginny's shoulders, "We'll help you with this Ginny, whatever you need."

Together the three walked into the sitting room and Ginny saw the faces of her children and Teddy. In her absence a full scale fight must have broken out. The game board was tipped Al was sitting in the arm chair watching as his brother and sister chased each other around the room and Teddy was trying to catch James. It was absolute bedlam and everyone was smiling and Ginny's heart broke again as she realized she was going to have to crush this moment and so many other moments for them with the news she had.

The kids caught sight of her standing in the doorway with Ron and Hermione and the smiles melted from their faces. They all sat down where they stood and Ginny didn't know where to start, "That was Terry Boot at the door, he came to say…He came to tell us…There was an ambush and…". The kids all had tears streaming down their faces. Teddy put it together first, "The auror department only sends someone to the house for a serious injury or a…or a death?"

Ginny walked over to the couch and pulled her children down with her, "Dad was caught in an ambush with the group of Aurors he was with. He didn't make it, none of them did." Ginny felt the tears slipping down her own cheeks as she pulled all four children into her as she watched their hearts break. They didn't prepare you for this when you have your kids no one ever give you a lesson on how to hold it together for your kids when their dad dies. She feels her own heart breaking and breaking again at the kids reactions.

James cried like Ginny hadn't seen him cry in years, but his tears were silent as he clutched his little sister. Lily was sobbing heart wrenching sobs into her brother's shoulder. Albus had his head in Ginny's neck while his body was wracked with sobs. Teddy was crying silently he had his arm wrapped around Ginnys shoulders and was clutching her so tightly she thought she might just break. Hermione and Ron were flanking then on either side of the couch crying their own tears.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that the six of them lost in there own thoughts eventually the kids fell asleep. Ron and Hermione went home to their own kids. Tomorrow she would have to face the rest of her family and she would need to reach out to the partners of the other aurors who were killed and she would need to start piecing her life back together again. But for right now she was going to let herself shatter. She could still remember the early days after the war when she was trying to cope with all the death and destruction. In all that though she had Harry. Ginny wasn't sure how to put herself back together, maybe she would never be able to.

Christmas Eve dawned cold and clear. James and Teddy were in the sitting room looking through old family pictures. Lily was in her closet wearing Harry's favorite jumper because it still smells like him, and Al was laying in his room in the dark. In the early hours of the morning he had seen his face so like his father's in the hall mirror. He'd shattered the mirror and was now avoiding reflective surfaces and his mother. She had been inundated with family and grieving spouses all day and now her children did not want comfort from their mother. Fortunately the new hadn't broken yet so the wizarding world at large was not trying to comfort her or her family. She wasn't ready for Harry's death to be public property yet.

The day passed in a haze as she tried to hold everyone else together. She consoled, and comforted, and if her mother tried to feed her one more time she might just scream. Teddy and James had managed to drag Al out of his room after they covered all the reflective surfaces and the three of them were asleep in her and Harry's bed. Lily was still in the closet in Harry's jumper, but she was keeping the door open so she could see them sleeping. Ginny found herself in the kitchen drinking a spiked cup of tea when the clock struck midnight.

Ginny was so caught up in her own thoughts she was startled out of her reverie by someone setting down next to her, "Sorry I'm late love."

"Harry! What!"

Ginny threw her arms around her husband and pulled back when Harry let out a pained groan.

"I don't know how much Terry told you, but we were ambushed the targets knocked out all out communications systems and we had to disable our tracking devices. We barely made it out alive, and then we had to clean up the mess. I'm so sorry I couldn't get word out to you. If I'd know Terry was going to declare us I would have tried to contact you."

"I can't believe this is happening. I just…"Ginny burst into tears and felt herself be pulled into Harry's chest. She nestled her head into the spot on his shoulder she loved and felt all the wrongs of the past day melt away.

"You promised me once you wouldn't die on me Potter."

Harry kissed the top of Ginny's head, "I'm sorry this is the first time in a while I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep that promise."

"Did everyone make it home?"

"Yes I sent everyone home to their families with strict instructions not to come in until after the new year for their reports and debriefs. I will have to go in for a few hours on boxing day to meet with Terry for a while, but other then that I'm here with you and the kids until after new years."

"I'm so happy you're home, this is the best Christmas present ever."

"I know it's a little early, but what do you say we wake the kids for Christmas morning?"

Ginny got up and held out her hand to Harry, "Let's do this."

Ginny and Harry went up the stairs as quickly as Harry was able. He headed to the kids rooms and looked back in confusion when Ginny pulled him towards their room instead. "They are sleeping in our room. Lily is asleep in the closet wearing your jumper."

Harry pulled Ginny into their room and stopped short at the sight of his godson and his children asleep in their room just like when they were kids scared of thunderstorms. "Wake up Sleepy heads It's Christmas!"

Ginny knew she would never forget the look on her children's faces when they heard Harry's voice. Her husband was lost in a flying pile of limbs she was a little concerned about his injuries, but he didn't seem to mind the kids enthusiasm. Ginny couldn't help the smile that stretched across her face as she watched her family. This would truly be a Happy Christmas.


End file.
